Water repellency is a naturally occurring phenomenon which affects all soils and can lead to the development of dry areas which are often impervious to water. Changes in the surface chemistry of the soil inhibit and/or prevent the soil from being hydrated. Water repellent soil (or hydrophobic soil) does not wet up spontaneously when contacted with water. When the soil becomes dehydrated, the hydrophobic surface of the soil is exposed to the air/water in the pores of the soil. The hydrophobic surfaces prevent water from spreading over the soil particles. This is a particularly noticeable problem on, for example, golf courses where the water repellency of the soil may result in the appearance of dry areas in the turf.
Soil surfactants can be applied to greens, tees and fairways to alleviate soil water repellency, reduce preferential flow, retain soil moisture, reduce runoff and reduce water consumption on golf courses. Conventional soil surfactants for improving water retention of the soil include alkyl phenol ethoxylates, alkyl polyglycosides (APGs) and ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO/PO) block copolymers.
There is however a need for a surface treatment composition having improved water wetting ability, water retention and/or uptake ability, and/or improved conditioning of the surface, such as for example soil.